The Annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair Set for Nov. 14-16
- by Michael Stillman
The annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Hynes Convention Center on November 14-16 this year. This ABAA sponsored show is likely the biggest such attraction on the east coast other than the spring fair the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America puts on in New York. The fair brings in not just sellers from New England and the Northeast, but all across the country and around the world. We note this year a dealer coming all the way from Moscow to display. It will be much easier for most Americans to meet these experts in Boston than traveling to their hometowns.
The fair hours are:
Friday Nov. 14: 5:00-9:00 pm.
Saturday Nov. 15: 12:00-7:00 pm.
Sunday Nov. 16: 12:00-5:00 pm.
You may purchase tickets for the entire run, including the Friday evening preview, or just for Saturday or Sunday for half the price. Tickets can be purchased on the fair's website (see link at the end of this article).
The main attraction, naturally enough, is the booksellers' displays, and the opportunity to meet and discuss your interests with some of the greatest experts in the field. However, the fair always provides additional events and programs for attendees who want to get more deeply into the resources available. Here are some events on tap for this year's fair.
Michael Volmer, Chief Curator of the Fruitlands Museum, this year celebrating its 100th anniversary, describes material in the transcendentalist manuscript collection. Saturday 12:30.
The Ticknor Society hosts a roundtable discussion on ephemera. Saturday 2:00.
A panel discussion on starting a collection is on the schedule. If you are considering beginning a collection, you should come to the fair for this. Additionally, “Discovery” exhibitors are ready to help you learn more about collecting and show more affordable logical items for those just starting out. Saturday 3:30.
Free expert appraisals will be provided for books, maps, and ephemera. Bring yours along to see if they're valuable. Sunday 1:00-3:00.
Peter Drummey of the Massachusetts Historical Society presents material related to Benjamin Franklin's early career in the newspaper field in Boston before he moved to Philadelphia.
To learn more about the Boston Book Fair, and purchase your tickets, click here now.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
